Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners announced that A Dog’s Journey, the sequel to the 2017 family drama film A Dog’s Purpose, is now in production. Alibaba Pictures, which formed a strategic partnership with Amblin Partners in 2016, will co-finance and co-produce the film. Based on W. Bruce Cameron’s novel of the same name, A Dog’s Journey tells the story of a dog that finds the meaning of his own existence through the lives of the humans he meets. A Dog’s Purpose earned $188 million worldwide with $88 million from the China market. A Dog’s Journey is set to release in North America on May 7, 2019 and expected to release in China as well. Read more on Mtime

Chinese Film ‘The Bravest Escort Group’ Released in Theater and Online Simultaneously

On August 24, action film The Bravest Escort Group was released in Chinese theaters. After knowing that the film was given only 0.6% of the screens across China, the film’s director Tao Mengxi quickly decided to partner with iQiyi to release the film on the video platform right away. As of August 26, the film has earned 2.4 million yuan online and 0.4 million at the box office. Quality aside, many films of small- or mid-budget in China are not capable of or can’t afford to carry out effective marketing campaigns, which usually include ticket subsidy and theater buyout. It remains to be seen if The Bravest Escort Group will inspire more films to release in similar fashion in China. Read more on Entertainment Capital

Fundamental Films Lost $130 Million in Three Years

Recently, Chinese film production company Fundamental Films released the company’s semi-annual report for the first half of 2018. According to the report, although Fundamental Film doubled its total revenues year-over-year during the reporting period, it reports a negative net profit of $11.5 million. The company lost $38.87 million in 2016 and $79.36 million in 2017. Cumulatively, it has lost about $130 million in net revenues over the past three years. Several years ago, Fundamental Films gained initial success in the film market by providing promotional support to hit foreign imports, such as Lucy, Taken 3 and American Hustle. It went on to co-finance and co-produce films in 2016 and 2017, yet archived rather unsatisfying results. Currently, the company has completed productions of a few new films, which will be release in the near future. Read more on yulechanye

China Film Insider reports on and writes about the people and companies making movies that soon may help to bridge the gaps in understanding between China, the United States, and the rest of the world. We work in Beijing, Los Angeles, and New York.